Obama to keynote LBJ Civil Rights Summit in April

The University of Texas’ LBJ School of Public Affairs announced today that President Obama accepted an invitation to kick-off a three-day Civil Rights Summit with a speech on April 10 focusing on advances during the Johnson Administration’s contributions.

The event marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, pushed into law by Johnson shortly after he became president. Three former presidents — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush — have also committed to giving speeches. First Lady Michelle Obama will also attend.

From the event’s website:

Johnson began his quest for a more just and honorable America with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the most transformational civil rights legislation since Reconstruction and a crucial step in the realization of America’s promise. In the years that followed, LBJ passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Together, this triumvirate of laws would ban discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin.

On April 8-10, 2014, the LBJ Presidential Library will host a Civil Rights Summit to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Summit, comprised of afternoon panel discussions followed by evening keynote addresses, will reflect on the seminal nature of the civil rights legislation passed by President Johnson while examining civil rights issues in America and around the world today.

People interested in attending can submit their email addresses at www.civilrightssummit.org